A Place in the Sun(25)

She patted my naked chest, as if kicking the tires on a car she was test driving.

“You’re quite muscly, you know, and that’s a weighty compliment. I’ve been around Olympic athletes and you wouldn’t stand out too far from that crowd.”

I snapped at her to be quiet. Her mouth dropped open and I swore she nearly thought of continuing on again, but I stepped forward and covered her mouth with my hand to ensure she’d shut up.

“You’re barking mad and I want you out of my house. Now.”

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and I realized I was still rather close to her, covering her lips with my hand. I could feel her breath hit my palm and I whipped back, putting a bit of distance between us.

“You won’t help me fix it up?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t owe you any explanations. I just need you to leave.”

I walked back to my front door, yanked it all the way open, and waved for her to get out.

She crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and kept her footing, right in the center of my living room.

“You think you’re the only person to experience loss, Gianluca? You think you get to mope around here forever?”

I saw red. Georgie didn’t get to talk about loss. She didn’t get to judge me or the way I chose to deal with mourning. This girl who lived life with a silver spoon in her mouth, this girl who floated around on clouds—she had no clue what she was talking about.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I replied with a tone that would have warned most people away.

Georgie seemed to dig her heels in deeper.

“Nor you about me. If you had ever cared to ask me about myself, I’d have told you that in the span of a few years, I lost my father and my oldest brother. One day they were there with me, alive and well. The next? Poof. Gone.

“So you see, I’m no stranger to death and dying either, but I’ve moved on with my life, and you…you’re just like that dreary bed and breakfast. You’ve let yourself fall into ruin. Katerina says it’s been five years. Five years and you act as if you lost her just yesterday!”

I was shaking then, shocked at how far Georgie was willing to push the subject. Normal people would have backed off. They’d have faltered, realizing how many lines they’d crossed. They would have apologized and left.

Not Georgie.

“You can sit up here in your villa and mope around for eternity for all I care, but don’t you feel like even Allie herself would have wanted you to be happy someday?! You’re this lovely man with real potential! I see it, but it’s under all these layers you’ve built up around yourself. Why can’t you move on?”

“It’s none of your business!”

“I’m making it my business! What are you trying to prove, anyway? That you’re the most miserable sod on Earth?”

“That’s enough—”

“Well congratulations, YOU’VE DONE IT!”

“GET OUT!”

I reached out and yanked her by her bicep, dragging her out of my house. She was nearly tripping over herself and I knew I was hurting her, but I couldn’t see past my anger. She’d pushed too far, too fast.

I tossed her out the front door and slammed it closed behind her, squeezing my eyes closed and leaning back against the door jamb. I felt bad about kicking her out like that, but she deserved it. Who did she think she was? Storming into my house? My grief? I didn’t need a pompous English girl lecturing me on the ways of life.

I leaned back against the door, trying to calm the burning anger welling up inside of me. Eventually, the adrenaline started to fade, and by then, I’d assumed Georgie was long gone, crying her way down the hill and prepping her speech for Katerina (The miserable arse tossed me out of his house!), but then I heard a soft voice just on the other side of the wood.

“Good progress. We’ll start tomorrow, then?”





I WAS UP early the next morning, seemingly the only person alive in Vernazza. I eased down the trail and followed the path around the ancient church in the square. The bell inside its tower would start chiming soon, but for now, it sat quiet, allowing everyone another hour of sleep. The plan was to take the train into La Spezia. I made the trek about once a month, picking up supplies that the small shops in Vernazza didn’t keep in stock. I needed a new shovel for my work on the wall, but then I spotted Georgie in the square.

I shouldn’t have been surprised to see her, but I was. I’d assumed after the day before, she’d take the hint and back off, but she was there, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, flitting around the outside of the bed and breakfast. The front door was locked so there was no way for her to get inside, but she didn’t let that stop her. She had a clipboard in one hand and she was jotting down notes as quickly as her pen could go, measuring windows and doorways and front steps. I hadn’t a clue what she was doing and I had no intention of interrupting her until I saw the sign pasted to the front door.

OPEN SOON. UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.

Bloody hell.

“Morning!” she called when she spotted me approaching from the side of the square.

I grunted in response and headed straight for the door so I could tear down the sign.

“Hey! What’d you do that for?”